Patent Literature 1 discloses an air conditioning control device equipped to a vehicle. The device includes an operation portion to set three air conditioning states, more specifically, an operation portion to make settings as to switching of outlet ports, a change of a volume of air, and a change of a temperature. The operation portion includes a push knob used to select any one of the three air conditioning states, and a dial knob provided along an outer periphery of the push knob.
The air conditioning control device of Patent Literature 1 includes a liquid crystal display unit disposed next to the operation portion and displaying an air conditioning state selected by the operation portion. The liquid display unit displays from which outlet port air is blown out, a volume of air blown out from the outlet port, and a pre-set temperature.
A technique of adjusting a direction of air blown out from one outlet port according to an orientation of a louver fitted to the outlet port has been used extensively in the related art. An air direction adjusting device disclosed in Patent Literature 2 changes rightward and leftward orientations of a louver fitted to an outlet port by moving an operation element mechanically coupled to the louver from one side to the other side. An operation knob is mechanically coupled to the louver besides the operation element. An orientation of the louver is changed, by moving the operation knob from side to side, to make a spacing narrower on a downstream side than on an upstream side in a flow of air or conversely to make a spacing wider on the downstream side than on the upstream side. A degree of concentration and diffusion of air thus varies with an orientation of the louver. Further, a shutter operation knob is mechanically coupled to the louver besides the operation knob and the operation element. The outlet port is opened or closed by rotating the shutter operation knob clockwise or counterclockwise.
Patent Literatures 3 through 6 disclose a widely employed technique which employs an electronic control for adjusting a direction of air blown out from an outlet from side to side and up and down, adjusting a concentration and diffusion degree of air, and closing and opening a flow path of air, on an upstream side of the outlet port in the flow path of air.